


Anatomy of a heart

by ginnyred



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friendship, M/M, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 13:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18165965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyred/pseuds/ginnyred
Summary: “Eva texted me.” Gio waves his phone giddily in Marti's face as if to demonstrate.“And you wake me up at...” Marti frowns as he checks the time on the screen. “Seven thirty in the fucking morning to tell me you got a text?”“It's not a text,” Gio explains excitedly as he sits down cross-legged on the bed. “It'sa text.Hi, Nico.” He attempts an apologetic smile as he sees Nico stir, rub his eyes, and look over confusedly. “Sorry for barging in.”





	Anatomy of a heart

Gio insists he knocked.

If he did, Marti did not hear it and he was asleep anyway so he could hardly have said “come in.” Not that it seems to matter in the slightest. And sure, this is technically Gio's bedroom at the lake house, which he graciously chose to forego in favour of sleeping on the sofa – and Marti _is_ grateful, he's not a monster.

But still.

Marti disentangles himself as gently as he can from Nico's arms, though he knows he will probably wake up anyway, and focuses on Gio's slightly hallucinated expression and his crazier-than-usual bedhead.

“What's going on?” he whispers forcefully.

“Eva texted me.” Gio waves his phone giddily in Marti's face as if to demonstrate.

“And you wake me up at...” Marti frowns as he checks the time on the screen. “Seven thirty in the fucking morning to tell me you got a text?”

“It's not a text,” Gio explains excitedly as he sits down cross-legged on the bed. “It's _a text._ Hi, Nico.” He attempts an apologetic smile as he sees Nico stir, rub his eyes, and look over confusedly. “Sorry for barging in.”

“Oh, so he gets a 'sorry for barging in' and I don't?”

Gio ignores him.

“Read it.” Gio puts his phone in Marti's hands as Marti yawns and sits up. “Also, like, try and connect your brain. I need your two braincells as awake as they can be.”

“You know that this is as awake as they get,” Nico offers from under the covers, his voice muffled by the pillow, and it makes Gio giggle.

Marti just glares at them both before looking down at Eva's Whatsapp text.

“ _Hey, stranger. Happy birthday! Am I-_ ” Marti starts reading but he interrupts himself mid-sentence.

_Happy birthday._

Oh, fuck. It's August 10th.

“Oh my God, it's your birthday!” Marti smacks himself on the forehead for forgetting. “Shit! Sorry! You woke me up at illegal o'clock and I didn't have time to think-”

“This is literally the least of my problems right now. Just read the damn text and tell me what-”

“The least of your problems? You're eighteen!” Marti's face opens up in a smile. He throws his arms around Gio's neck and attacks him with a hug. “Happy birthday! I'm so sorry for forgetting! It's your fault for waking me up in the middle of the night, though.”

Marti can't see him, but he knows Gio is pulling faces at him behind his back.

“Your definition of 'the middle of the night' worries me,” Gio says as soon as Marti lets go of him. He pretends to roll his eyes but his big smile makes Marti want to smile too. “But thank you.”

“Happy birthday, man.” Nico pulls himself up and makes grabby hands at Gio. Gio leans in so Nico can plant a kiss on his cheek. “Now you can officially be arrested and go to jail like the rest of us.”

Gio raises an eyebrow but he's still smiling.

“Just say that you're trying to get rid of me.”

“Fuck, I'm discovered,” Nico deadpans and lets himself fall back onto the mattress again. “What's the deal with the text?”

“It's complicated.” Gio sighs. “If Marti learns to read in the next few minutes we might even get to talk about it.”

“Fuck you.” Marti shows him the middle finger for clarity. “I'm taking the birthday wishes back. And the present.”

“You didn't give me a present.”

“And now I never will.”

“Marti, just read the text. You're giving me a headache,” Nico complains, pulling on Marti's shirt to get his attention, and Marti rolls his eyes.

“Fine,” he concedes and starts reading aloud. “ _Hey, stranger. Happy birthday! Am I the first? I hope I'm the first. Have the best birthday ever! You deserve it, you old man._ Heart emoji.” He looks up. “You'd better have a very good explanation as to why this is more worthy of my attention than sleep,” he adds, though it's mostly for show. It's hard to miss what got Gio so excited.

Still, Gio should probably be the one to say it, right?

“The heart, man, the heart! She hasn't sent me a heart since... well. Who's counting?” Gio says, and Marti bites his lip so he won't say _well, you clearly are._ “And it's a red heart emoji! Does she send you heart emojis? Nico?”

“My phone is basically from World War Two, so no heart emojis for me.”

“Oh, right. Good. I mean, cool,” Gio corrects himself quickly. “Marti?”

“I don't know. Maybe? I think she's sent me hearts before.” Marti grabs his own phone on the nightstand and scrolls back to check his chat with Eva. “Yeah, _See you there._ Purple heart emoji.” He scrolls back further. “Mostly purple hearts, some yellow. Rainbow hearts here, but we were talking about, like, coming out and stuff. Never a single red one like that, though.”

Gio beams like Marti just told him that Christmas has been moved up to early August.

“Do you guys think it could mean... you know.” Gio scans their faces for a reaction and they both smile back. His face still falls a bit, though. “I'm reading too much into this, aren't I?”

“Not necessarily,” Marti says encouragingly. He still feels a bit guilty about how much Gio was affected by the breakup. When Marti finally told him what he did, Gio forgave him and said that he didn't hold it against him, that they didn't break up because of _that_ anyway. Marti still wants to make it up to him, though. “She's not dating anyone now, right?”

“I don't know. I don't think so?” Gio shrugs. “She's not with Canegallo for sure. I saw him eat Emma's face last week at the gelateria, so I'm assuming they're still together.”

“Yeah, what a downgrade, that,” Nico comments with a grin.

“For Canegallo, you mean?” Gio smiles. “Or for Emma?”

“Honestly, for both.”

Marti smacks Nico on the shoulder and tries not to smile.

“Stop being such an asshole,” he says, but when Nico reaches for him he goes willingly and meets him half-way in a smiley kiss. It feels so nice and warm and _right_ that Marti kisses him again. And again.

And again.

“Yes, guys, I'm sure this is very nice and all, but I think we're getting sidetracked,” Gio points out, rolling his eyes dramatically. “What the fuck do I write back is the problem here.”

Marti smiles at the feeling of déjà-vu.

“Whatever happened to the Love Wizard?”

“Those who can't do teach?” Gio offers distractedly. He considers his words for a moment and grimaces. “Don't tell Elia I said that.”

Marti's smile widens. He crosses his fingers and kisses them twice, like children do when making a promise.

“Okay, but what's the goal?” Nico asks. He crawls over to them so he can rest his chin on Marti's shoulder and peek at Gio's phone in Marti's lap. “You want to know if she's still interested? Or you want to tell her that _you're_ still interested?”

“I don't want to be annoying.” Gio rubs his neck a bit awkwardly. “But I'd like to know if she meant anything with the heart. You guys have to be honest with me, though. I don't want to... assume things. I don't wanna bother her by being pathetic. Not now that we're speaking again.”

“Well, if I were you, I would have gotten excited at _Am I the first? I hope I'm the first._ ” Nico smiles. “And I'm being 100% honest with you.”

“Yeah, it does... it does look like she's trying to get a reaction. Possibly,” Marti says. It's what he thinks, but he still measures his words. He really doesn't want Gio to get hurt again. Yet he couldn't stand it if Gio were to lose this chance because of him. “But if you say she hasn't sent you anything like this since you were together, I mean...”

“Well, then,” Nico sits up straight and claps his hands once. “How about you send a red heart back? _Thank you! You were the first and I'm not surprised._ Winky face. Red heart emoji.”

Marti laughs.

“Subtle like a brick.”

“Yeah, how about I save the winky face for later?” Gio says mildly and waves away Nico's fake pout. He tries and fails not to sigh. “Well, when I say later...”

“Okay, okay,” Marti interrupts quickly because there is no need for Gio to bring himself down like that. “I think Nico's right about the heart, though. You should use it. And you should definitely say she was the first. So, like, _Thank you! You were the first._ Red heart emoji. _Coffee at the Baretto after Ferragosto?_ ”

“You guys have no idea what subtle means, I swear to God.” Gio shakes his head, amused. “Coffee? Really? How is that different from a winky face?”

“Well, for once it's a word and not an emoji,” Marti begins, but he doesn't really have a second point, so he sort of trails off. “Is inviting her out for ice-cream better?”

“Not really? I wanted to hint at things rather than...” Gio gestures vaguely. “You know? Give myself plausible deniability.”

“Why?”

“Well, because... What if it goes badly? What if I misunderstood and she didn't really mean to...”

“And what if you didn't, but your reply isn't clear enough and she thinks you're not interested?” Marti argues. “I mean, she sent the heart – whatever she meant by it, _she_ sent it. So it's not like you're coming out of the blue.”

“Cryptic is fine,” Nico offers unexpectedly in a quiet, contemplative tone. Both Marti and Gio turn to look at him, surprised, but he's staring down at his own hands, playing with the duvet. “Cryptic is fine and sometimes is the only way you have to _say_ something, you know? When saying nothing is not an option but you're not really ready to...”

Nico pauses. He doesn't look up, and Marti feels an ache in his chest, like his heart is trying to crawl out. He feels a sudden urge to hug Nico. He resists it, though – for now. He wants to give him the space he needs.

“Here, though,” Nico says, his voice a bit surer now. “Here you have an opening. You aren't the one who's reaching out into... well. Into the unknown, I guess? Eva did that.”

“She was very brave,” Marti offers gently.

He's not really talking about Eva, and they both know it. Marti steals a glance at Gio, their eyes meet for half a second, and Gio smiles warmly. He definitely knows it too.

Nico still doesn't look up, but Marti sees his lips curl slightly in amusement. Or maybe fondness. Or both.

“All you have to do now is reply to that opening,” Nico says. “And I'm no expert, okay? I'm no Love Wizard. But I'm told a wise man once said direct and straightforward is the way to go.”

Nico finally glances up and he exchanges an amused grin with Gio. He then turns to meet Marti's eyes and Marti smiles. He was waiting for him.

 _Hi_ , he thinks stupidly. _I'm so happy you're here._

Marti can't resist the lack of contact anymore and he reaches for Nico. He cradles his cheek and Nico seems to melt into it as Marti guides his head gently onto his left shoulder. He kisses the top of his head – kindly, carefully – and turns to look at Gio.

He's got an eyebrow raised at them, but Marti doesn't buy it for one second.

“Well, when you put it like that...” Gio's voice is very quiet, like he's afraid he might ruin their moment. Marti wants to hug him too. “What do you guys suggest?”

Marti looks down at Gio's phone in his lap.

“Is direct and straightforward fine, then?” he asks, just to be sure, and Gio grins.

“Well, Nico made a very convincing case for it, so...”

Marti starts typing. Nico reads over his shoulder and Gio attempts to make sense of the words upside-down. As soon as Marti is done, he turns the screen around for Gio to have the final say on it.

“ _Thanks! You were the first. I liked the red heart a lot._ Red heart emoji," Gio reads aloud. He smiles. “Yeah?” he asks for confirmation.

“Yeah,” Marti says.

“Go for it, man,” Nico adds encouragingly, and Gio takes a deep breath.

He's stupidly brave, Marti knows. But he's still surprised when Gio hits send before Marti even has time to process that they're actually doing this.

“Well... It's done, I guess?” Gio puts the phone down on the bed.

It's weird. They fall into complete silence and they all stare down at the screen in terror, or maybe in awe of their own daring – and they wait. One second, two, three. Ten. Twenty.

A minute.

Nico's head snaps up first, suddenly. Then Marti and Gio jump too when they notice the small numbers under Eva's name have changed from 06:58 to a single word.

_Online._

“Oh, fuck,” Gio says and he closes his eyes, like watching this unfold is too much for him to deal with. “Oh, God.”

Marti reaches out on instict and takes his hand. Gio breathes out deeply and squeezes back like his life depends on it.

“She's typing,” Nico says, because Gio's eyes are still closed.

Gio makes a sound that is half-laugh half-sob. A handful of seconds, though they feel like hours, and then the phone buzzes in Marti's hand, but he doesn't dare look down at it.

“Gio...?”

“Tell me what it says.”

“I haven't looked at it yet. Are you sure you don't want-”

“Sure. Read it. And please be gentle.” Gio giggles hysterically, his eyes shut. “And, like, guys? Come visit my grave sometimes, yeah? Bring chrysanths. Maybe tell people I was a good guy, always saying hello...”

Marti and Nico exchange a glance that could be amused but it's mostly just terrified and they look down at Eva's new text together.

It's actually two texts. Both very short.

“No grave visiting required.” Marti slumps against Nico in relief and squeezes Gio's hand gently. “Thank God, really. Who's got the time?”

“Marti.” Gio's voice is considerably higher than usual. “Promise?”

Marti smiles, even though Gio can't see him.

“Promise.”

Gio opens his eyes and Marti watches as he reads Eva's text. It seems to take him longer than necessary.

**Eva, h. 07:54**

❤❤❤

_Coffee after Ferragosto?_

Gio says nothing for the longest time. He just stares at Eva's words like he's not fully processing them.

“Gio?” Nico calls, his tone tentative, betraying his worry. “It's good, isn't it? She asked you out.”

Gio looks up at him. His gaze moves from Nico to Marti, and back again. When he finally smiles, it's grateful and open – with a hint of mischievous.

“I fucking love you, guys,” he announces proudly.

Marti is not ready for it when Gio launches himself at them and enthusiastically wraps them both in a bone-crushing hug. Honestly, it's a miracle his and Nico's heads don't clash together in the process.

“Is this supposed to be affection?” Nico laughs out loud. “I can't tell.”

“Shut up, Nico. You wanted me to go to jail.” Gio turns his head slightly to his left. “And _you_ were the grumpiest old man on Earth and threatened to take my present from me.” He lets them go with a smile. “Speaking of which: where's my present?”

“There is no present,” Marti says with a straight face and manages to dodge Gio's playful slap. He lets out a high-pitched giggle.

“We got you a date. Is that not enough?” Nico grins.

Gio reaches for the pillow lying behind Nico's back and he throws it at Nico's face.

“Fuck you! No!”

Big mistake. You don't throw away your weapon. Especially when outnumbered.

Gio's eyes widen as he seems to realise this. He looks from Nico to Marti and takes in the knowing look they exchange, the way they both grasp their pillows in their hands. He raises his index finger in warning.

“Don't you dare even think- Ouch! _Ouch!_ You cheaters!”

They hit him with their pillows at the same time, Gio's attempt at shielding his face largely useless against a double attack. He lets out a scream that is hilariously high-pitched, as he tries to scramble back and off the bed, but Nico grabs him by the waist and pulls him back.

“No! Stop! Fuck, my phone! You can't do this! _Stop!_ ”

The bedroom door bursts open and Marti freezes, surprised, his pillow mid-air.

Elia is barefoot, wearing his night clothes. He's still holding the door handle, an hilariously confused expression on his face as he takes in the scene in front of him. Luca peeks into the room from behind his back.

“Jeez, guys, you're alive,” Luca says and he sounds relieved. “We heard screaming. We thought you were being murdered in here.”

“Yeah, _murdered_ ,” Elia deadpans and he raises an eyebrow at Gio. “Care to explain?”

“I've got a date,” Gio offers proudly, and Marti facepalms, while Nico bursts out laughing.

“Yeah.” Elia rolls his eyes, but his lips curl in amusement. “I see it's going splendidly.”

“Idiot. With Eva.”

Elia blinks twice as he takes in this new piece of information which doesn't seem to explain anything at all. Marti has to laugh when Luca stands on his tiptoes to try and look behind the bed, possibly to check if they're hiding Eva under there.

Elia pinches the bridge of his nose, like he can't believe this is actually his life.

“You know what? It's too fucking early for this,” he sighs. He grabs Luchino by the arm, pulls him along, and closes the door behind them. “And keep it down! I want to sleep,” he shouts from the living room.

Gio turns to Marti and Nico with a grin.

“Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?”

Nico raises an eyebrow.

“Depends. Are you thinking we should wait for them to fall back asleep and then prank them?”

“Fares, I'm officially impressed.” Gio offers his hand to Nico, who laughs and shakes it vigorously. “Marti? Are you in?”

“What an idiot question.” Marti tries to roll his eyes but it's hard when all he wants to do is beam at Nico's and Gio's matching grins. “What's the plan?”

**Author's Note:**

> This will stop being canon compliant in three, two, one...


End file.
